Memoirs
by ThatTexasKid
Summary: When Griffin Steinway's grandfather Alex, a World War Two veteran, passes away, some shocking secrets are revealed from Alex's war journal, as well as his widowed grandmother Nala. Secrets that Griffin can't comprehend, and struggles to understand...
1. Prologue

**Hello all, and welcome to my story! I got a reader request to have a Lion King story take place during World War 2, so here it is. I hope all of you enjoy this, and do not forget to leave me a review! I have done enough blabbing, so let us get on to the story shall we? This story is dedicated to all veterans of the worst conflict in human history.**

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING**

_Location: Dallas, Texas_

_Date: January 24, 2004_

Conner Wade Steinway, who was wearing a tuxedo, walked out the doors of the funeral home, a somber expression on his face. His wife, Mary, and his seventeen-year-old son Griffin trailed shortly behind him.

Conner was about to silently climb into the family's SUV when he felt his wife tap him on the shoulder. "Yes Mary?"

"Honey, how is your mother doing with all of this?"

Conner sighed glumly. "Not very well. Dad's death has hit her really hard. But she's coping. I know she'll find a way."

Griffin chose this opportunity to speak up. "I know I've got a basketball game later, but I think I can skip. I think Grandma Nala needs us more than ever."

Conner chuckled and turned to his wife. "Who is that kid and what did he do with my teenage son?"

"Ugh, Dad, you are like, so embarrassing!"

Conner chuckled again. "That's better. Seriously Griffin, that's a great idea."

Mary smiled at her husband, and climbed into the passenger seat. Griffin got in back, and Conner took the wheel. The house was only a short distance away, and the drive took only about ten minutes.

They pulled up to the front, and took a good look at the little house. It was only one story, and a large flower garden was center-stage on the lawn of the home. Conner smiled to himself. This was the home where he had grown up.

The trio walked up to the door, and Griffin knocked on it gently. A small voice made itself known from the inside.

"Come in."

Griffin gently opened the door and peered inside, giving a quick pan of the area. "Grandma?"

The elderly woman sitting on the couch stood up, a smile evident on her face. "Griffin! What a pleasant surprise! I thought you had a basketball game right now."

The young man gave a roughish grin, his blue eyes sparkling with trickery. "I do. But I think you need me more than my team does."

The old woman smiled, her sapphire blue eyes showing her inner joy. "Well okay then. Are your parents here?"

Griffin shook his head. "No, they just dropped me off. Dad has some kind of presentation at his office, and Mom has a class."

The elderly woman nodded sadly. "They always have been busy people."

Griffin nodded in agreement. "Yep." The young man stood up. "I think I'm going to fix the two of us some dinner. Is there anything in particular that you want?"

His grandma gave him a cheeky grin. "Some steak would be nice."

Griffin laughed. "Extra raw, I'm guessing."

"You're good, boy."

Griffin chuckled to himself, and walked over to the kitchen. He reached up to the top shelf, and pulled down the box of meat. That was when he noticed that there was something peculiar behind it. He reached up and brought it down. What the teen was staring at was a large brown book, without any publication, title cover, or author.

He left the steak on the counter, and took the book back to his grandmother. "Hey Grandma, do you know what this is?"

His grandmother's blue eyes flashed with recognition, memories flashing about in her mind. "Griffin, I think you've struck gold here. This, my grandson, is your grandfather's memoir journal."

Griffin's eyes widened in amazement. "That's really cool."

The old woman chuckled, her blue eyes showing her love for both her grandson, and the man who wrote the book. "Indeed it is. I think this covers from when he joined the army all the way until we got married."

Griffin nodded in understanding. "Should we put dinner on hold and read it?"

The old woman smiled, before fussing with her grey hair, and adjusting her glasses. "I don't see why not. It's not like he's here to stop us."

Griffin chuckled, and turned the brown cover, revealing the first page of the book. Then, the young man began to read.

"Hello world. In case you don't know…"

**-TLK-**

…my name is US Army Corporal Alex Steinway. I've just enlisted, and I've been put under the command of General George Patton. In case you've been living under a rock, or if you're just a moron, seven days ago, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, taking many innocent American lives with them.

Being a red-blooded American, I wasn't going to stand idle and let that happen. I enlisted, and I was given the rank of Corporal, a rifle, some provisions, and this journal that I'm writing in.

Since we're obviously going to be SUCH great friends (Detect the sarcasm here?) I think I'll you a little bit about myself. I was born in New York City to first-generation German-Americans. My grandparents came here after the Great War, searching for a better life and what not.

You see, I had gotten a bad rap lately for being German. Hey, it ain't my fault that everyone over there became a bunch of Nazi Zombies! So, after some digress, I finally enlisted, and here I was getting deployed to North Africa of all places.

Shame, I had been looking forward to liberating Europe. But what can you do? So here I was, sitting on a helicopter, writing in this journal when the bozo next to me starts talking.

"So Germ, what compelled you to enlist? You aren't a spy, are you?"

I rolled my eyes. This guy was a moron! Then, something possessed me to open my mouth. "Hey moron! I'm as American as you are, so you should stop harassing me!"

The lunatic just glared at me. "What did you say to me Germ?"

"You know, technically I'm supposed to take a bullet for people like you, but now I'm not so sure."

"SHUT UP!"

"Hey, who's the private here? That's right. You. So, I ORDER you to stand down!"

The lunatic sat back in his seat, grumbling. I hoped that not every soldier that I came into contact with would be like this. Friggen idiots. I too slumped back into the chair, just hoping that the plane flight to Africa would be over soon.

**Well, that is going to be all for now! PLEASE DO NOT FORGET TO LEAVE ME A REVIEW! Well until next time, take care and PLEASE REVIEW. Bye!**


	2. Convoy

**antiSIMBA: Thanks for reviewing. Could you be a little clearer though? I didn't understand what you meant.**

**Guest: Thanks for reviewing. Alex will be using his military-issued assault rifle, a hunting knife, a crossbow, and numerous grenades.**

**Well, the time has come for another chapter! Thank you to all who have reviewed. IF YOU HAVE NOT YET REVIEWED, PLEASE REVIEW WHEN YOU HAVE FINISHED READING THIS CHAPTER. Well, I think that I have done enough blabbing, so without further ado, here is the second chapter!**

"Corporal Steinway!"

I looked up to see my superior, Captain Roger Thorne, walking towards me. I hated the guy's guts. He was a total jerk. I sighed, and spoke in a monotone voice.

"What do you want Captain?"

The moron in front of me cleared his throat gruffly. "When we arrive in Africa, you won't be fighting with us. You'll be joining a small group of our soldiers on a convoy to British general Bernard Montgomery. You'll fight with them against Rommel."

I looked up at him, a shocked expression planted on my face. "What do you mean I'm going to the British? Why the hell did you choose me?"

Thorne shrugged. How I hated that man. "It was completely random. Get your things ready, we're almost in Africa. An escort will be waiting for us."

I muttered some less than desirable things under my breath, before getting my backpack together. It was a plain old camo green, with an American flag sewn on to the back. I suddenly felt my ears popping and my teeth clattering.

"Well, I guess we're landing. It would've been nice if I had some warning."

Eventually, the plane came to a halt, and I stumbled out. Once I regained my coordination, I took a quick look at the lands around me.

**-TLK-**

Griffin chuckled for moment as he held the book. "Grandpa didn't really have that much of a way with words did he?"

His grandmother laughed. "No he did not. He was always an incredibly blunt person, you know that."

"That he was. That he was. Sounds like he didn't like anybody in the army."

"He didn't. Even to his last breath. Still thought that all of them were a rambling pack of idiots."

Griffin laughed. "That sure sounds like Grandpa. Well, should I keep reading?"

"Fire away!"

**-TLK-**

All I could see was sand. Sand to the north. Sand to the south. Sand to the east. Sand to the west. Just sand everywhere. How I hated sand. I grumbled to myself.

"Welcome to the Sahara Desert, population death."

The convoy truck was directly in front of me. I equipped everything that I would need, and slowly walked over. The driver was smoking a large cigar, and was wearing sunglasses. He spoke with a heavy Australian accent.

"G'morning. I'm assuming that you are Corporal Steinway."

"Yeah, that's me. So who the hell are you?"

The Australian laughed hardily. "My name is Lieutenant James Davis. Hailing from Sydney."

I chuckled. "Yeah, I think I could tell. Your accent is as thick as the sand dunes!"

"Whatever Steinway!"

I laughed hardily as well. "Have it your way Aussie!"

I climbed into the convoy, and the truck began to drive off, into a world that I would never have considered could possibly exist.

**Well, that is going to be all for now! PLEASE DO NOT FORGET TO LEAVE ME A REVIEW! I will not post the next chapter until I get 5 reviews by 5 different readers. Well, until next time, take care and drive home safely! I'll see you next time, and don't forget to check out my other story, **_**A Game of Lions**_**.**


	3. Attack

**Well, my last story was a complete and total failure, so I think that I'm going to try to come back to this one. When you are finished reading, PLEASE DO NOT FORGET TO LEAVE ME A REVIEW! Well, I think I have done enough blabbing, so without any further ado, here is the long awaited chapter three!**

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING!**

So as it turns out, the Aussie, whose name was really James Davis, was a much more intelligent comrade than the vast majority of the Americans I had come to Africa with. He was sharp, witty, and hated the Nazis just as much as I did.

At the current moment, we were sitting in the back of a Jeep, (American made. Hell yeah!) just making some small talk.

"So Alex, where you from?"

I scratched my head before adjusting my helmet quickly. "America, duh, but specifically, my gramps moved to St. Louis from Berlin a bit before the Great War. He and my father actually fought on the Allied side, but as I was saying, he met my grammie in St. Louis, and they had my pop, who is a carpenter. On a trip to Texas, he met my mother, moved there, and had me. And now here we fricken are!"

Davis chuckled lightly. "How humble. Both of my parents are descendants of the first English prisoners sent to Australia. For a profession, they-"

He was about to finish, when we heard a massive blast, shaking the Jeep to its core. James and I whipped out our assault rifles, searching for those who shot the missile. When we looked, we saw that our driver was dead, and that the other two Jeeps were blown up as well.

James grumbled under his breath before speaking again. "Damn you Rommel! Got us again!"

That's when the shouts began to be heard.

"_Uberlenbende?"_

"_Einer der Jeeps sieht gut aus!"_

"_Prufen Sie es! Bitte!"_

I gulped slightly, clutching my rifle tightly. "Aussie."

"Yeah Stienway?"

I let my eyes narrow and I loaded my rifle. "Let's create some chaos."

James grinned in response, before loading his rifle as well. "Oh yeah."

The Aussie and I jumped up from our hiding spot in order to take a quick look at our attackers. There was a German officer along with about seven of his regular foot soldiers.

"_Mein Fuhrer! Wer sind diese Leute?"_

I narrowed my eyes and pulled the trigger on my rifle.

**BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!**

The officer screamed before falling down in a head, his hands clutching at his chest.

"_Haupt Kelb is tot! Feuer frei!"_

The German infantrymen began to return the fire, causing James and I duck again back into our little hide-away.

James turned to me and grinned. "Now, Steinway, it is my turn."

I gave him a friendly slap on the back. "Break a leg, Aussie."

He jumped up and began to fire, the shells of the bullets dropping in between us.

**RAT-A-TAT-A-RAT-A-TAT! BANG! BANG! BANG!**

I could hear two distinct screams from the Germans, and James ducked back down as Nazi bullets whizzed past his head quickly.

He grinned at me and then spoke with his thick Australian accent. "Got me two of them!"

I chuckled. "I could tell by the screams."

I then grabbed one of my grenades from my pack. Now, coming from a German family, I could and can still speak and write a bit of the language.

"_Hier kommt der Boom!"_

I chucked the grenade over the car and in the direction of the Nazi soldiers. A few seconds later, the large explosion common with, you know, grenades, happened and a couple more of the Nazis died.

"Hey Aussie, how many of them are left?"

James took a pick over the felled Jeep that served as our hiding spot, before turning back to me.

"None. That grenade did the trick. What did you say to them?"

I grinned sheepishly. "Here comes the boom."

James rolled his eyes before chuckling. "Should we go steal their crap?"

I shrugged. "Why the hell not? It's not like they'll need it, and we ARE in the middle of the Sahara Desert without any method of returning back to the main force."

James nodded in agreement. "Let's check it out."

We sallied over to the corpses of our former foes, and quickly rummaged through their packs.

"Hey, check this out!"

"What is it Aussie?"

"I found this big-ass hunting knife! And it wasn't damaged by the grenade!"

I grinned, and then I made a little discovery of my own. On a body of a Nazi soldier that I had killed with the grenade, laid a completely intact crossbow. I pulled it out of his dead grasp quickly, and showed it to James, before spitting on his body.

"Hey Aussie, check this out! It's a freaking crossbow!"

After a quick inspection, James gave his typical roughish grin. "Now, we aren't just badass. We're medieval badass!"

We both burst into laughter before his face became much more somber. "Steinway. What do we do now?"

"Find water. The Savannah should have some of that."

James nodded in agreement. "That sounds right. We'll shoot a couple wildebeest to eat too. My compass still sort of works. We'll go south."

I shook my head downwards in agreement. "Sounds like a plan, Aussie."

We collected what we would need, and headed south, in the direction of the Savannah. If you had told me what we would experience a year earlier, I would've sent you to the loony bin.

**-TLK-**

Griffin sighed as he put the book of memoirs down. "Grandpa sure had a love for cliffhangers. And it seems he was always vulgar, sarcastic, and shameless."

His grandmother chuckled in agreement. "He sure was. But that's what everyone always loved about him. Never afraid to see what he felt he needed to say."

Griffin smiled. "Nope. I remember one specific time when we went hunting. He missed a rabbit and he called it a damned Nazi."

His grandmother burst into laughter, with Griffin himself joining in. The old woman composed herself before beginning to speak again. "Shall we continue?"

Griffin nodded, and began to read from the journal once again…

**Well, that is going to be all for now! I would like 3 reviews before I post the next chapter so I don't feel like writing this is a waste of time. When I do get those three reviews, I will try to update as soon as possible. Well, until the next time, take care and thank all of y'all very much for reading!**


	4. Journey

**Well, I got a lot of reviews rather quickly, so as promised, here is the next chapter. Thank you to all of guests who kindly left me a review for the last chapter. All of your comments are much appreciated. For those who were wondering, James and Alex will meet the pride in the next chapter or two. Please do not forget to leave me a review when you are finished reading. Well, I think I have done enough blabbing, so without any further ado, here is the chapter!**

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING**

As Griffin was about to continue reading from the journal, the doorbell to the house suddenly rang. The young man was about to answer, but his grandmother beat him to the punch.

She scurried over to the door, and opened it, revealing an elderly man with green eyes and grey hair. He then spoke, revealing that he had a thick Australian accent.

"Thought I'd drop by for a while. I know how hard this time must be for you."

The old woman nodded sadly before smiling at him. "It's rough, but Griffin is here as well to keep me company."

She then ushered the man in. "Come in A, take a seat, make yourself at home."

A thanked her, before walking directly towards the living room of the home. Griffin smiled once he recognized the man.

"Uncle A! It's great to see you again."

A gave a roughish grin, before sitting down beside him, and speaking with his customary Australian accent. "Good to see you too, Griff. So what have you and your grandmother been doing?"

Griffin grinned and motioned to the small yet thick black book. "I found Grandpa's old war journal. We've been reading through it."

A gave a sarcastic smile. "I was there with him. What has he said about me so far?"

Griffin gave him a puzzled expression. "I don't think that he has mentioned you yet…"

A's eyes widened suddenly. "Has he mentioned anyone named James?"

Griffin nodded. "Yes, he's quite prominent. Why do you ask?"

A smirked in response. "James is my real name."

Griffin's eyes widened in shock. "YOU are James? Then why do I call you Uncle A?"

A shrugged. "A is short for Aussie. I like it better. It was the old geezer who gave me that nickname."

Griffin burst out laughing and his grandmother, who had just entered the room, gave the old Australian a mock glare. "Don't call my dearly departed husband an old geezer…although that's exactly what he was."

The trio's laughter grew harder, and as they laughed, an unseen presence in the room began to chuckle as well.

"_Amusing themselves at my expense? Typical. Ah, shut up Alex, you'd be laughing right along with them!"_

Back in the mortal world, the trio had calmed down, and were now sitting on the couch. The elderly woman spoke first.

"Should we continue reading Alex's memoirs?"

Griffin nodded, and handed the black book to A with a smirk on his face. "You want a turn Aussie?"

A gave him a mock glare, and gladly began to read…

**-TLK-**

Well, as it turns out, the James's compass was a lot more busted than he was originally led to believe. When he took it out for the two of us to look at, it pointed south for a split second before the glass suddenly busted all over the place.

"So, your compass kind of works, eh Aussie?"

James glared at me in response. "Hey, I thought it was going to work! And it DID point south for a split second!"

I shrugged in response. "Touché."

We gathered our packs, and began heading to the south, hoping that we might reach the African Savannah before we died horribly from, I don't know, something like starvation, thirst, or giant killer mosquitos.

For what seemed like ten years, the Aussie and I strolled directly through the heart of the freaking Sahara Desert, slowly using up what provisions that we had, and it wasn't long until we were having water issues.

"James, should we stop for a bit? I'm tired as hell, and I'm thirsty as hell!"

James sighed. "I want to as well, but we have to keep moving! If we don't, either of two things could happen. One, we die of thirst. Two, we die of heatstroke. If we stop, we die. Steinway, it is really as simple as that!"

I grumbled in reluctant agreement, and the two of us trekked further into the desert, the stereotypical large sandy dunes covering the landscape for as far as the eye could see.

Our days continued exactly like this for, I guess about a week, but then the landscape started to change. The rolling dunes of the Sahara gradually changed into grasslands, and where there were grasslands, there was water.

James jumped with glee when he first saw the river. "Oh my gosh, there is water! Freaking water! I am not hallucinating!"

I rolled my eyes, before drinking some of the clear, fresh water myself, and I'll admit, it really did taste better than usual.

When our thirst was quenched, we set about finding some sort of area that we could use as a shelter. That was when James and I saw it for the first time.

A large rock formation jutted out of the ground to overlook the surrounding lushness. A small lake covered one section of the land, and another was marked by a massive gorge. A badass looking boneyard was to the north, and the tall grasses were as green as the lima beans on my dinner plate.

I hate lima beans.

James turned to me, the awe evident in his eyes as well. "Alex, I think that we have found our shelter."

I nodded in agreement. "I'm guessing that you are referring to the rock formation."

"Hell yeah. What other shelter is there? I don't see a mansion anywhere!"

The two of us shared a laugh, and began to stroll towards the rock formation, completely oblivious to what we were about to find inside that formation.

**Well, that is going to be all I'm going to write for now! As stated previously, PLEASE DO NOT FORGET TO LEAVE ME A REVIEW! I would like at least five reviews before updating again, and when I get those, I will try to post the next chapter whenever I can. Well, until next time, take care and thank y'all very much for reading!**


	5. Old Family Secrets

**Well, after quite a long hiatus, it is finally time for the much-requested Chapter Five of Memoirs. I would really like to thank every single person who has left me a review for this story so far. When you are finished reading this chapter, please don't forget to kindly leave me another review. Well, I have done enough blabbing, so without any further ado, here is the chapter!**

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING!**

As A read the last line of the page, Griffin's expression became quite perplexed, and took a slightly irritated tone as well. The young man sighed in exasperation at the large amount of complexity in his grandfather's words.

"Grandpa couldn't possibly be any more cryptic could he?"

A chuckled lightly, and responded in his characteristic Australian accent. "For what you're about to find out, he had a right to be cryptic for once."

The elderly woman snickered in agreement, and she held out her husband's war journal once again. "My turn."

**-TLK-**

Neither James nor myself realized just how massive the rock structure really was until we were right there.

The damn thing must have been about a hundred feet high from where we were standing to the highest point. It was then when I suddenly felt a slight tap on my shoulder.

"Alex, are we ever going to climb up or are we just going to stare at it for the next twenty-two years?"

I chuckled in agreement, and James and I were about to ascend the rock when we heard a very loud, very prominent growling noise behind us.

"James."

"Yes Alex?"

"I hope that was not a lion."

"Same here. I want to save my bullets for Hitler's boys, so don't grab your gun unless you really need to."

The two of us both gulped in unison, before slowly swinging our torsos around. Sure enough, a massive golden lion with a bright red mane stood snarling directly at us. Twol lionesses stood behind him with similar expressions on their faces, and two cubs hid behind the legs of two of them.

I looked at the male, and said the very first thing that came to mind.

"Hi."

James slapped his face with the palm of his hand, and the lion continued to growl at me. Then it did the last thing I would have ever expected. The lion spoke.

**-TLK-**

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Let me get this straight. THERE WERE TALKING LIONS?!"

A burst out laughing, and the boy's grandmother smirked before laughing devilishly.

"Oh yes there were; are, actually. Now do you want to hear the rest or not?"

Griffin nodded, still in shock from the suddenly revelation, and the elderly woman began to read again…

**-TLK-**

"Why are you Lion Hunters in my lands? Why are you here at all? WHO ARE YOU?"

I leaned over to James and began to whisper. "I think he thinks we're British…"

"Why? Because they poached all the time 65 years ago?"

I nodded, and James's eyes widened in understanding. We then turned back to the lion, and I spoke nervously.

"Uh, like I said, hi. My name is Alex, that guy over there is James. The reason we are here is because we are hopelessly lost here in the African wilderness!"

James smiled and nodded in support of my statement. "We thought the massive rock here would provide us with some basic shelter."

The red-maned lion narrowed his amber eyes. "My father told me about your kind. He said that you are all savage murderers who seek to do nothing besides kill and pillage before you disappear, leaving a trail of scorched Earth behind."

James gulped nervously. "Your pappy was…kind of right about some of us. We aren't all bad, though. Some of us fight to protect, not to kill."

The lion's eyes narrowed further. "Like who?"

Now it was my turn to gulp. "Uh…us. There is this guy named Hitler who is the leader of a group called the Nazis. The guy is a total a-hole who is slaughtering millions and trying to take over the world. James and I here are a part of a group called the Allies, who are trying to stop him. That's why we carry arms."

The lion then sighed. "I am Mufasa. The two lionesses behind me are my wife, Sarabi, and her best friend Sarafina."

James gave them his trademark roughish grin. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Like Alex said, me name's James, but you can call me Aussie, or even just A if you wish."

It was then when I noticed that something seemed to be missing. I looked down and I saw the two cubs from before, still clinging on to the legs of their mothers. One had golden fur and amber eyes, and the other had a more creamy coat with sapphire blue eyes that seemed to pierce my soul.

I smiled at the two lionesses. "It's…a pleasure I guess…to meet all of you. So who are the two little ones you've got crawling over you?"

The lioness called Sarafina smiled nervously at me. "Well, the golden one is Simba, he's Sarabi and Mufasa's son. The other is my own pretty little daughter. Her name is Nala-"

**-TLK-**

"HOLD ON FOR JUST ONE MINUTE? AM I HEARING WHAT I REALLY THINK I AM HEARING?"

Griffin's grandmother chuckled in amusement. "Yeah, you are Griff. I was born a lioness."

The young man's mouth was agape. "But…no…it can't be…that's…that…that's just…wow."

Meanwhile, A was convulsing with uncontrollable laughter. "Griffin, your reaction was one of the funniest things I have EVER seen. And yeah, your grandmother is telling the truth."

Griffin's eyes suddenly widened. "That does explain why you like your meat basically raw…it also means that Grandpa was kind of like a perv-"

Nala burst out laughing. "Don't even go there Griffin! Now that that's over, lets read more of that journal…"

Griffin nodded. "This really has been quite a revealing day…"

**Well, that is going to be all that I am going to write for now. As mentioned previously, please do not forget to kindly leave me a review. If life cooperates, and I get enough reviews, I will try to update this as soon as I can. Well, until next time, take care and thanks for reading!**

**-Tex-**


	6. Decision and Immobility

**Hey y'all. So I have a little bit of time to write stuff now, and this is the story I probably have the most inspiration for, plus it had a lot of popular demand for continuation. School has been a killer, and I also have a job now. I'm also a different person now, kinda what happens when reality hits and you realize that you're going to be an adult soon, haha. Well, let's see how this goes, and don't forget to review.**

A and I began to expose the awkwardness of the situation more and more. I mean, it's not every damn day where you meet a pride of talking fucking lions. After a (thankfully) brief introduction, Simba and Nala had scurried off to do whatever the hell it is that talking lion cubs do. The girl though, I think her name was Nala, seemed to have some interest in me. Heaven knows why. But then again, I am undeniably attractive. I guess even lions can't help but to swoon over my gorgeous physique. Finally, A broke the extended, utterly awkward silence.

"So...are you going to eat us or what?"

That was possibly the most inane, pathetically moronic question I had ever heard asked in my entire life. The idiocy earned the Australian a whack on the side of the head with my M1 Garand. The impact was remarkably satisfactory. Anyway, the lions (I'M TALKING ABOUT TALKING FUCKING LIONS) appeared rather unphased by our little exchange. Mufasa's blood-red mane fluttered in the wind slightly.

"Well, the two (LIONS CAN COUNT?) of you present me with an unusual situation. On one paw, you are Lion Hunters. Your kind poses an existential threat to mine, and there is no legend or tale that speaks of our peaceful coexistence. On the other paw, you don't appear to pose any kind of specific threat to my family or myself, and your strange thunder sticks could prove invaluable devices for our hunting parties, or if, Kings forbid, we ever go to war. In the end, the choice falls to you. We could eat you if you'd like, but I've never found the idea of dining on a Lion Hunter particularly appetizing."

I turned to James, and quipped into his ear, "Well, fight or flight Aussie, which one will it be?"

A had a look on his face that I'd never seen on him, and have never seen on him since. My Australian friend seemed almost...curious. Must have been the kangaroo he ate before bed. A spoke, and he uttered words I'd never thought I'd hear from someone who thought of blowing the brains off of Nazis as a hobby.

"Well, the savanna here is beautiful, and I've never exactly interacted with a pride of lions, much less talking lions. I'd simply love to learn about your history and culture over an extended period of time." (Turns out he was a sociology major back in Australia. Never would have guessed.)

That Australian accent of his could make Josef Fucking Stalin swoon, I swear. The lions ate that shit up. The lioness called Sarabi, who was the queen, I guess, smiled broadly.

"Well, we would be happy to teach! You and your friend are welcome here as long as you don't do anything to interrupt or threaten the rest of the pride. The hunting party is out right now, but Sarafina and I will happy to introduce you to them once they return with dinner. Welcome to the pride!"

With that, the three lions left the cave. I turned to A, giving him my customary look-of-death.

"What the hell were you thinking? We need to be finding our way back to General Montgomery, not gallivanting around the African savanna with a parade of overgrown cats. This is going to end like Tom and Jerry, except we ain't going to be Tom!"

James gave me a soft look, probably trying to soothe me. Didn't. Fucking. Work. Damn it.

"Relax, Alex. I have a very good feeling about staying here for a while. Don't worry, we'll get to Montgomery and the Brits eventually."

Damn that accent of his. You know, it's really hard to stay infuriated when there is an Australian talking right next to you.

"Fine A, I'll bite and play your little game. But I swear, if we die because of this, I'll hunt you down and kill you!"

A ruffled his hair a bit, before looking at me with a bit of a quizzical expression. "I'll hold you to that...I guess?"

Both of us looked out of the cave at the setting African sun. It was great, mind you, but I can't say that it matches up to the sweet sunsets in Texas. I miss it. Closer to the horizon, we noticed the lions returning to the den, presumably dragging a kill with them. Can't say I've ever eaten a hippo before. A says he's never had a desire to consume antelope…

**TLK**

"Well, Grandpa was right about one thing. It is pretty hard to beat the sunset in Texas. "

Nala laughed haughtily. "I fought him over that one for over sixty years, but he never backed off."

A muttered under his breath. "I'm not sure fight is the right word to describe how you and Alex went after each other over that. It was more like a gladiator match combined with the entire Battle of Endor."

Nala gave him a light-hearted glare. "We were never quite that bad."

"It didn't seem that bad to you because you and Alex would generally have some, ahem, "fun" after one of your arguments."

Griffin gave an odd smile, expressing some odd combination of horror and amusement. "So speaks the eternal bachelor. REALLY not the mental picture that I needed Uncle A. I don't think I'll ever be able to sleep comfortably again. Ever."

Both A and Nala rolled their eyes, and A spoke nonchalantly. "Let's just continue reading the journal. Before we all decide that brutally murdering each other would be the most decisive course of action."

**Well, that's all for now. Thanks for bearing with me throughout this entire process. I'll try to post the next chapter as soon as I possibly can, but I can't give any indication as to how recent that'll be. Could be tomorrow, could be two months. Don't forget to review!**


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